Life is make believe, fantasy given form

Farlanders’ Law

Excerpt from Farlanders’ Law, The Rose Shield: Book III

The baby reminded her of Gussy on the day Zadie delivered her into the world of the stead. Such memories raised tears for a lost lifetime, a wistful dream that evaporated upon her waking to a harsher, crueler morn. Those days had marked the most sacred of her life, a few years of recaptured innocence when they called her Rose for lack of another name. Zadie had chosen the name because of her eye, and Wenna had given her the choice of calling it her own. The tender mothers of her youth had seen the ugly mark bruising her face and named it something lovely, called her a thing of beauty when she was a scrawny cast off lacking a voice of her own.

This little one possessed no flaws, no strange blemish or discoloration or unexplained power, nothing to hurl her life into heartbreak and ruin. So, Catling chose the name again, and in that instant, all her misgivings, all her dreaded anger and doubts and regrets about the baby resting on her body vanished. Every indignity inflicted upon her, every threat and injury and act of destruction faded into the murky distance. For years, those with unfettered authority had wielded her as a tool. Now, the power of the infant’s face, the gray eyes and soft hair, the little bowed lips, the helplessness of this new life eclipsed them all. Suddenly, only this life mattered, her child’s life, and she drifted instantly and deeply into love.

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93 thoughts on “Farlanders’ Law”

Thank you, Ed. I was just browsing on your site. Lovely photos and flowers. Thanks for reading my little snippet here. The last of the books are finally out – a taste of the last one tomorrow, and then on to the next project. Have a great day. 🙂

Thanks, Mary. One more, then these books are all out! I’m taking deep breaths – read 2 books this week and I haven’t done that in a long time! We’re still waiting for spring, but soon I’ll be outside, too. Have a great weekend and Happy Writing!

Thanks, Pam. Yeah, those infants have amazing power, don’t they? It’s otherworldly, like a magic spell. I think many mothers experience that first love and I’m glad I captured it. Thanks so much for the lovely comment. Have a great weekend and Happy Writing!

My goodness, you’re publishing much faster than I can read them. But perhaps I’ll catch up eventually. I find Catling’s Bane taking over my reading time of the other book I’m reading simultaneously…And it’s very good as well! Your characters and world stay with me and I don’t want to leave them for long.

Thanks so much, Sheri. What a great compliment. All four are out now, as of yesterday! One more excerpt next week and that will be it for a while. Phew. They’ve been in the works for 2 years, but I like putting them out close together since that’s how I tend to read series – I wait until they’re done before I start them. (The old memory can’t deal with the big gaps). I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying it. Have a great weekend. 😀

The ‘experts’ at the conference I just attended suggested having a series released at a book every 30 days. So I hope it gives you a good boost to visibility on Amazon. I’m happy for you that the flurry is past. I know how fun it is to release books and how wonderful it feels to catch a breath afterwards. Enjoy the glow!…and the weekend. 🙂

That’s good to know, Sheri. I spaced them every two weeks and could have gone longer easily. Putting the last 3 on preorder helped a lot too as I had a number of sign-ups, especially as the first was read. 🙂

I have done my series a little differently in that I released the first and will release the next each October. Not sure it was the best plan. But my intention is to boost promotion when book III comes out, so hopefully the visibility will happen post-release of the others? Hard to say if that will work, but it’s done now. Nice to know the pre-orders worked for you.

This shows a warmer, softer womanly Catling. I feel sad she had to become so fierce to protect herself from mean taunters and people who couldn’t see beyond her birthmark.
May she proceed forward, happily and protective of her new Rose. 🌹 ❤
I have my purple Catling book, this first one is nice and heavy. Beautiful cover! 🙂 I cannot wait to proceed into reading. The ones on my pile go in order of arrival but so excited to have your first one! I will gather others as I go along. . . Taken on my journey with your amazing characters. xo

How exciting, Robin. Thanks so much for the lovely support of my writing journery. Catling’s life isn’t an easy one, but the excerpt shows a moment of peace. I so hope you enjoy the book after reading a bazillion excerpts! Ha ha. Hopefully I didn’t give too much away. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend. 😀

Thanks for reading, Juli, and for the kind comment. It’s the third book in the series and finally they are all out and available. Phew. Just on time for spring (when it gets here). Have a great weekend among the flowers. 🙂

Thanks so much for the wonderful comment. You put a giant grin on my face this morning. The last of this series came out this morning. I’ll do a little excerpt next week – then give it a rest for a while. Have a lovely day and happy reading!

I’m so far behind on my reading. I have so much catching up to do. I really enjoyed this excerpt. Reading through the comments, I get an appreciation for how exhausting your writing process has been.
You’re almost at the finish line! 🙂

It’s hard to keep up with blogging, Joanne. And the numbers keep going up! It’s a constant process of adjusting our time and priorities. Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend. Spring hasn’t show up here yet, but soon (I hope!).

Ack! It’s not that much of a spoiler, Sean! You’ll see. I hid most of the important details. Sorry, though. You know that she survives to book III and becomes a mother. That’s it. 🙂 Who, where, how, why, and what next? All a mystery.

Thanks so much for the great comment, Julie. I’m glad you’re enjoying the book. It’s the grittiest by far of all my offerings. I’ve started reading more since backing off on my writing hours and it’s so fun to read a book in a few days versus a few months! Ha ha. Happy Writing!

Thanks, Kathryn. The pressure is all self-imposed, so the shift was only a matter of choice. I’m having fun reading and the sun just came out!! Woot woot. Have a great day, my friend. I’m making your shrimp recipe today. 🙂

I am kind of tired, Bridget. One more book to toss out there and then I’m done (for now). I’ve already started reading, and it looks like I’ll get some time outside today! Still writing, but limited to 3 hours a day instead of 10 – that frees up a lot of time and I’m lovin’ it! 🙂

A wise woman, who happened to be my Grandmother, once told me to walk away the moment something fun would turn into a routine or worse -into a “must do.”

It worked for me. I semi-retired as a translator and interpreter and made my hobby my new living when I opened my workshop. Every time I feel that it becomes routine, or when I feel worn out, I close my workroom and walk away for a few days.

I thought I’d seen you about a bit…but that’s always a delight and I hope I haven’t missed too many guest appearances! Why, oh why am I NOT surprised that Catling is in for a rough ride! Isn’t it wonderful creating characters and worlds! 😀

I know. We all have to do it, but it’s definitely the downside of releasing 4 books at once! It seems most authors are introverts and it goes against the grain to tout our accomplishment. I will remind you!

Carefully chosen extract! Children always drown away our own sorrows as their face fills us with new energy and enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing. Hope you are basking in the glory of your new series this spring. Stay blessed!

Thanks, Balroop. I had a hard time picking one for this book that made sense out of context. I remember that instant feeling of love when my daughter was born. The best moment of my life. 🙂 Have a lovely day, my friend.

Yes! I removed his name from this as there were already plenty of names. He will get his alright! But without him, there’d be no Rose. Life can be very confusing that way, and it’s part of coming to terms with the tragic parts of our lives.

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